help in making an offer on type!!
I am a printmaker who is new to letterpress printing, and i’ve recently inherited my partners grandfathers letterpress so i’ve been shopping around for type. i can across a huge lot of type from a guy whose grandfather was a printer and recently passed. The lot includes around 60+ drawers full of mostly metal type, some wood and copper. He wants folks to make an offer, without knowing the value of such things, i don’t want to insult him with a lowball offer, so i thought i’d turn here for advice. All over the internet, i’ve heard praises of briarpress so please… help! i’d really love to get this but i need some professional advice. He said he’s going to take the highest offer, but i’d like to try and get a good deal. thanks!
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A lot depends on the fonts and what you intend to do with them.
If you are interested in printing invitations, etc. Script faces and certain popular fonts like Bernhard Fashion are better suited. For book work, you would want classic faces like Baskerville, Caslon or Goudy.
Often people sell type by the pound. A case (drawer) can hold anywhere from 10-35 or 40 pounds. Multify that by 48 and you get an idea of how much two cabinets weigh. I bought two cabinets similar to what you have pictured for $300. They were mostly classic book fonts which I was very happy to get. It is not unusual to see a request for one cabinet full of type for $200-$250.
I suggest you make him a fair offer with the stipulation that you are not sure how much it should be but are very interested.
Do not make an opening offer. It is up to the seller to set an asking price. Remind him that type is heavy and that most people could not afford to pay the shipping. You, on the other hand, are here, with cash in hand. If he absolutely will not start with a price, offer $100 and see what he says. You may be surprised, and at the very least he probably will come back with some sort of figure for all the type.